20 Brilliant Sci-Fi & Fantasy Films Where Actors Play Opposite Themselves

Hellboy has been through various different iterations since Guillermo del Toro last had his mitts on the property, but none have managed to usurp the duo of Ron Perlman-led films that began it all.

Adapted from the comics of the same name, the first movie (2004’s Hellboy) brings the titular interdimensional demonic entity to Earth and raises him as an American with a mission to investigate the paranormal and generally do good. Along for the ride is Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), another weirdo whose amphibious appearance makes him anathema to popular society’s tastes, but whose brain is essential in solving the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense’s mysteries.

The sequel, The Golden Army, opened up Hellboy’s world substantially, introducing various new characters from various realms and habitats while the big red guy battles Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), who tries to reclaim the world for his magical kin. And who better to portray a whole host of the strange entities the film throws up than del Toro’s go-to oddity, Doug Jones? In the second helping, Jones plays Abe again, alongside the Angel of Death and Chamberlain, the eight-foot-tall doorkeeper for King Balor. Jones has no problem with wearing prosthetics for long periods of time, is a master of strange performances, and his ectomorphic figure is easy to build around, so it was a no-brainer. 

Plus, there were zero chances of him being recognised in multiple parts.